


As Long as I'm With You, I Could Never Be Alone

by Elphachel



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Light Angst, Stranded, admitting feelings, smut in later chapters, they don't know they like each other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-04-21 22:23:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14294748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elphachel/pseuds/Elphachel
Summary: Ava decides to spend a few days on the Waverider to get away from the stress of the Bureau, but ends up trapped in the jumpship with Sara, and she's starting to realise she's a little bit in love with her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Just letting people know, this is unrated because I'm probably going to put in some smut in later chapters, but I could change my mind, so I'm just going to see how things go.  
> I'm pretty sure that no one doubts that they'll get together, I'm hardcore gay trash.
> 
> ~ Elphachel
> 
> EDIT: Rating now changed to explicit for chapter 5 which is just pure smut

“What have you and your team done now?” Ava said, staring down at image of Sara in front of her.  
“What a way to greet your friend! Maybe I was just calling because I wanted to talk to you!” Sara smirked, knowing that it was just how the time agent was. Truth be told, she had no idea if her team had screwed something up lately. She just knew that sometimes she wanted to talk to Ava as if they were both normal people. Maybe the Legends had created another anachronism or released Mallus from his prison; what did she care as long as she had Ava to talk to?  
“Were you just calling to talk to me?” Ava retorted dubiously.  
“I was, in fact!” Sara put a hand to her forehead, feigning distress. “Since it’s clear you don’t want to talk to me, maybe I should just go! I’m sure there’s something out there in time I can make a mess of.” Sara smirked at her last remark, knowing it would keep Ava talking to her for a while longer.  
“No need to go ruining time again,” Ava laughed. “I’m sure I can spare a few minutes for my favourite Legend.”  
“Oh, I’m your favourite, am I?” Sara winked, causing Ava to blush.  
“Well, I mean,” Ava stammered, “it’s not like there’s much competition for you. At least you care a little bit about keeping time together... it’s more than I can say for the rest of your team.” Sara let out a laugh.  
“Hey, we’re getting better...” Ava raised an eyebrow, “slowly....”  
“Anyway Sara, what did you want to talk about?” Ava said suddenly.  
“I don’t know... how’s your day been?” 

Ava nearly laughed at Sara’s attempt at a normal question, but bit back both the laugh and the response that she wanted to say: that her day was so much better now that Sara was talking to her. Instead she simply replied,  
“Too long. We lost three agents because of a malfunction with a Time Courier so I’ve been doing the job of four people.” Ava sighed and bit her lip.  
“Ava,” Sara started softly, “I’m so sorry. What happened?” Ava let out another sigh.  
“There was an anachronism in Germany in 1942. The Time Courier opened a portal a few hours later than it was set to and minutes after they stepped out of the portal a bomb hit their location. They died instantly.” Ava looked down, unable to meet Sara’s eyes, eyes that were far too caring for such a hardened woman.  
“Fuck Ava, I’m...” Sara choked slightly on her words, “I’m so sorry.”  
“It’s okay.” Ava released a shaky breath. “I should’ve checked their Couriers before they went out. I always check them before missions.”  
“Hey!” Sara snapped her fingers at the screen. “Ava, look at me. This? It’s not your fault. Not at all. You shouldn’t have to be responsible for other people’s stuff. It was just an accident. No one is to blame.” Ava still avoided Sara’s gaze. “Why don’t you come here and hang out on the Waverider for a while?” Sara asked softly. “It might be good to get away from everything for a little while. Maybe I could even convince the team to leave us alone long enough for a quick trip somewhere sunny? In my experience nothing helps with stress like a combination of sun and people wearing skimpy bathing suits.” Sara wiggled her eyebrows at the haggard woman.  
“Of course thats what you’d like about the beach…. I’ll tell you what,” Sara looked up sharply, surprised that it seemed like for once Ava might be willing to let her hair down a little, “I won’t go to the beach with you.” Ava paused, laughing slightly as Sara’s face fell. “But, I will come visit you on the Waverider. I think you’re right, I just need some time away from everything.”  
“Well Ava, I’m sure we’ll manage to find some way to take your mind off things. And hey, if we can’t, you can always tell off my team, I know that always makes you feel better.” 

Ava smiled at Sara’s comment. She would never admit it to the other woman, but she really did feel better just talking to her. Every time she saw Sara, whether it was in person or on these screens that never seemed big enough to contain Sara’s larger-than-life personality, it felt like her world lit up a little bit and anything bad that had happened just melted away. She felt comfortable with her, like everything was right, despite the fact that everything about Sara should make her feel wrong: she was responsible for the collapse of time, and made her job ten times harder, and yet just seeing her face made her entire body feel warm. If she could be honest to herself she would realise that she liked the other woman, but instead she kept trying to convince herself it was just friendship. Just because she thought about Sara all the time, doesn’t mean she liked her. Just because she wanted to see Sara whenever she wasn’t there, doesn’t mean she liked her. Just because Sara always wandered into her mind when she was alone, doing unspeakable things to her, doesn’t mean she-

“Ava!” Sara interrupted Ava’s thoughts, bringing a blush to her face as she realised what she had been picturing Sara doing.  
“I’m sorry, what?” Ava stammered out. “I was just… thinking.”  
“I just wanted to know if you wanted us to come pick you up, or if you wanted to get yourself up here? I could take the jump ship down and pick you up before anyone even realised it was gone.” Ava thought for a moment. She looked down at the machine around her wrist and shuddered.  
“Could you come pick me up? I know it’s stupid, but after what happened, I…” Sara’s face softened into a gentle smile.  
“Of course I can. If I couldn’t, I wouldn’t have offered. I’ll just go talk to the team quickly so they know what’s going on and then I’ll come get you. Otherwise we might come back to find time falling apart at the seams.”  
“Again…” Ava added in. Sara raised her eyebrows.  
“Well, maybe I won’t come get you!” She laughed. “Just kidding, Aves. I’ll be there in 10.” Sara seemed to freeze for a second as she realised what she’d just called Ava. “See you soon!” She blurted out, before turning off the call abruptly. 

“Aves?” Ava repeated to herself. “She’s never called me that before. Why would she even think of that name, it’s just…” Ava felt herself smiling. “Shit,” she said, still out loud, finding it too easy to talk to herself in the privacy of her office, “I like that she calls me that. I like hearing her say stuff like that. I like her… fuck me, I cannot have a crush on Sara fucking Lance. No way. Not possible. I do not.” Ava grabbed her work bag (always with a spare pair of clothes just in case she got stuck at the office and couldn’t get home one night) and hurried out of the room, trying desperately to shove the thought of liking Sara out of her head. Hell, the woman would be there in a few minutes; it would hardly be appropriate, either by professional standards or the standards of friendship, to be thinking of Sara pressing her against the wall and kissing her so hard it hurt when she was coming to do a huge favour for her. 

She turned to the small man sitting outside her office at his own small desk.  
“Gary!” She barked.  
“Y-yes, Agent Sharpe!” He stammered, slamming his laptop shut and looking up at Ava attentively. Normally that gesture would make Ava suspicious, but right now she just needed to leave.  
“I’m going to the Waverider to check in on Sara and the Legends for a few days. Make sure Director Bennett is informed of my absence and knows that it will be hard to contact me for a while.” Gary stood in front of her, staring expectantly.  
“Shouldn’t I be going with you to check on the Legends? Agents should never go alone, especially after-”  
“I will be fine, Gary!” Ava said pointedly. “That will be all!” Gary scampered off. Ava watched as he left, letting out a sigh. She didn’t mean to be so harsh with him, but it was so easy to get frustrated. He was easily one of the most incompetent agents they had, but she knew his heart was in the right place. Still, she didn’t know how else to act with him. Outright kindness to people made her job harder wasn’t something she did well... except for when it was Sara. She’d always had a weakness for beautiful women. Not that she was attracted to Sara. Not at all.

Ava felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She quickly pulled it out, far more eagerly than she would like to admit.  
Sara: I’m outside the building, jumpship’s out the back. See you soon <3  
Ava’s heart sped up as she read the text. Sara never struck her as to kind of person to put a heart at the end of the text, and yet seeing it made it seem like it was exactly what she would always do. Unless she was just sending it to Ava because she liked her... or maybe she just wanted her to feel better. Ava shook her head with a quiet groan.  
‘Why did I agree to this?’ She thought to herself as she walked out. It was going to be a long couple of days.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Omg, I actually got the second chapter up the day after!!! Was not expecting that, to be honest.  
> I hope you all enjoy, this one is a little bit shorter because it's still just kinda developing the introduction. As always, any feedback is welcomed! 
> 
> ~ Elphachel

“See you soon!” Sara shut off the call, feeling a blush creeping up her face. “What the hell was that!? Aves?” Sara let out a long groan. “That’s not a name she’s meant to hear!” Sara turned to her bed and pressed her face into the pillow. She groaned again. “Why did you do that, Sara, Jesus Christ.” She sat up on the bed, fanning her face to try and make the blush go away. “Okay, okay, that just never happened. If I ignore it, she will too. No way I can even begin to explain where that name came from.” 

Sara hated how Ava made her feel and act. At first she was so sure it had been loathing: pure, unadulterated loathing. Still, the more time they spent together, the more she started to realise that the feeling wasn’t hatred at all; quite the opposite, she realised she was hopelessly infatuated with the Time Agent. For months now (or maybe it was days; who knew with all the time travel going on) she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the other woman: how she looked, how she spoke... what it would be to kiss her perfect face and pull off that stupid suit which somehow looked so amazingly hot on her that Sara felt like she forgot how to breath every time she saw Ava in it. 

“Captain Lance, should I gather the team in the communal area so you can inform them of what’s going on?” Gideon’s voice was like ice cold air, shocking Sara out of her thoughts and back into the world around her.  
“Yes Gideon,” she started falteringly, before going on with more confidence, “I’ll be there in a minute, tell them I want them there before me.” With that, Sara quickly pulled out a sweater and threw it on over her shirt (the jump ship had never been great when it came to temperature control), before rushing out of her room, quickly grabbing a duffel bag as she went. She knew Ava would probably think it was silly for a short trip, but she wanted something to make Ava’s day a little bit less shitty, so she filled the bag with all the foods she knew Ava liked, as well as a few she figured everyone had to enjoy.

Sara stepped into the communal area; she knew she had to leave soon if she was going to get to Ava when she’d said, so she decided to make this quick.  
“I’m surprised you all actually listened when Gideon said I needed you here right away, you’ve actually made this far more painless than I’d expected,” Sara remarked.  
“Well, Gideon did say that there was a major problem with time and that if we didn’t do something right away then the universe would cease to exist… so of course we hurried!” Ray said. Sara’s mouth hung open slightly.  
“Gideon!” She shouted.  
“Yes, Captain Lance,” the AI replied, calm as ever.  
“Why did you tell the team that time was collapsing?” Sara briefly noted how ridiculous it was that she was having an argument with an AI, before realising that this was probably the most normal thing she had done in three years and moved on.  
“Based on my analysis of the average time it takes for the team to assemble when called upon, I realised that the only effective way to get them here as quickly as you requested was to tell them that there was a catastrophe of some sort. I was correct.” Sara stared at the projection in front of her before shaking her head.  
“Jesus Gideon, I already have to make sure these bunch don’t ruin everything, now I have to watch out for what you say too?”  
“I am sorry for the inconvenience Captain Lance.”  
“Just don’t lie again Gideon. Otherwise when we actually have an emergency, no one will believe you.” 

Sara quickly composed herself before turning back to the team.  
“Okay Legends. No mission for today.” Sara waited while all of them cheered, excited at the prospect of a day off. “Ava’s been having a rough time so I’m bringing her onto the ship for a few days to help her get her mind off things. I’m going to go pick her up now, so I’ll be gone for a little bit. If any of you move the ship a fraction of an inch while I’m gone, I will make sure you spend the rest of your time on this ship regretting it. Understood?” The team silently nodded their heads. Zari started to say something, but a quick kick to her shin by Nate kept her silent. There was no way he was letting her threaten their day off.

“Good,” Sara said. “I’ll see you all when I get back.” Sara started to leave, then turned back. “By the way, I expect you all to be nice to Ava. Like I said, it’s been a rough couple of days for her, so I just want to give her a place to get away from it all.”  
“Because you have a crush on her,” Zari pretended to cough into her hand. Sara sighed.  
“I do not have a crush on Ava.” She turned to the door once again and walked out, before calling across her shoulder, “I’ll be back soon.”

“Shall we?” Nate whispered to Amaya once he was certain Sara was gone. She took his hand and led him out the door towards her room, slapping his ass lightly on the way out.  
“No one needed to see that!” Zari called after them, certain they would already be too busy to pay attention to what she said. “Whatever.” Zari left, muttering something about technology being better than people. Mick looked over at Ray.  
“Well Haircut, looks like it’s just you and me,” Mick growled at him. Ray stepped back.  
“Actually Mick, I have some work to do in my lab, maybe you should go… do whatever you do when we’re not bothering you…” Ray turned on his heel and hurried out. Mick let out a little laugh.  
“Alone at last. I’ve got a book to finish!” He muttered, heading off to his room.

On the other side of the ship, Sara slid into the jumpship.  
“Captain Lance, I should warn you, I’ve noticed some issues with-”  
“It’ll be fine Gideon,” Sara interrupted, “it doesn’t have to make a particularly long trip.”  
“Captain Lance, I really must insist-”  
“Gideon, power down your AI in the jumpship. I can do this without you.”  
“But Captain Lance-”  
“Now, Gideon! I don’t have time for this.” Sara closed the door on the jumpship, faintly hearing Gideon’s “as you wish” through the doors. Without a second thought, Sara took off.  
‘I was right to bring a jacket,’ she thought, ‘it’s ice cold in here.’ 

Before she had much time to dwell on the freezing temperatures in the small ship, Sara was landing behind the large Time Bureau building and hopping out, walking quickly to the front of the building. She sent a quick text to Ava.  
Sara: I’m outside the building, jumpship’s out the back. See you soon <3  
She pressed send before she could think better of the heart. After a minute she saw a familiar blonde head making it’s way towards her. Ava caught sight of her and walked a little faster.  
“Ava,” Sara said when she was close enough, “I’m so sorry about-” Sara cut herself off as Ava pulled her into a tight hug. She would never complain about this, but it was so unlike the composed, professional woman to act like… well, a human.  
“It’s okay,” Ava mumbled into her shoulder, “I’m just looking forward to having a few days to relax.” After a moment Ava pulled away, smoothing down her suit. She looked as if the moment of emotion hadn’t happened at all.  
“Let’s go,” Sara said softly. “Otherwise there mightn’t be a ship to come back to.”  
“Probably not a good way to relieve stress,” Ava laughed. “Lead the way.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit more angsty than I'd expected! Hope you enjoy!
> 
> (Edit: forgot to add this before, just remembered. TW for mild panic attack. I didn't even think about it at first, but I want to make sure that my fics don't make anyone uncomfortable <3)
> 
> ~ Elphachel

Sara pulled open the door to the jumpship. Ava raised an eyebrow.  
“So this is where you call from when you want to be alone… it’s a little small.” She eyed it warily.  
“Hey, don’t be mean to our jumpship!” Sara laughed. “She’s small, but she gets the job done.”  
“Yeah…” Ava still looked unconvinced. Sara brushed her hand gently against Ava’s, just a ghost of a touch to steady the seemingly unnerved woman.  
“Come on,” she said softly, “I brought chocolate…” Ava’s face lit up immediately.  
“What kind?”  
“Dark with almonds and hazelnuts… obviously,” Sara smirked as Ava blushed slightly.  
“You remembered,” she said softly. Sara pressed her hand against softly against Ava’s once again.  
“I always remember what you talk about.” Sara smiled, catching Ava’s eyes with her own. The two stayed like that for a moment, both leaning in slightly, knowing what could come next; equally terrified and excited at the thought of closing the distance and giving up on the lies they were telling themselves and each other. Just as they got closer, close enough that Ava could feel Sara’s breath on her lips, Sara pulled back and turned away, a red flush creeping up her neck as she stepped into the jumpship. “Come on. I brought a shittonne of chocolate, so there’s more than enough for the whole trip.”

Ava sighed softly as she followed the captain into the ship. For just a second there it had seemed like maybe, just maybe Sara was going to… no, she couldn’t afford to think like that. She and Sara were friends, workmates: nothing more. Never would be, never could be. She bit her lip softly. She realised Sara was speaking to her again and forced herself to focus on her voice instead of the thoughts running through her head.  
“You can just sit right here,” Sara was saying. “You don’t have to wear the seatbelt, but I know you like rules, so you totally will.” Sara winked at Ava.  
“You may know what kind of chocolate I like, but there’s a lot you don’t know about me yet, Sara,” Ava said with a raised eyebrow, leaning back, clearly with no intention of putting the seatbelt on. Sara mimicked Ava’s expression.  
“Guess we’ll have to keep getting to know each other.” Sara laughed. “I for one always wear a seatbelt when travelling through time itself, and I insist that the members of my team do because we all know it’ll probably be a rough landing….”  
“Do you want me to put it on?” Ava questioned, reaching for the restraint.  
“If you want. You’re not my team, you’re my friend. Don’t worry, I’ll be careful with the trip.” Sara turned back and smiled at Ava, who dropped her hands to her lap.  
“I trust you,” she said quietly to Sara.  
“In that case, let’s head off before your boss comes and yells at me for parking a time machine behind your building.” Sara started up the jumpship.  
“And yells at me for ditching work to go check up on you, even though I’m only meant to do that under direct orders from him.” Sara let out a low whistle.  
“You’re right, Ava,” she chuckled, flipping switches on the jumpship, “there’s obviously a lot I don’t know about you.”

Sara flicked one last switch and pulled up on the controls, sending the jumpship straight up. Ava held onto the armrests, feeling herself start to fly out of the chair.  
“I though you we’re going to be careful!” Ava shouted.  
“Sorry!” Sara called out. “Didn’t think about where I was parked. Take off was a little rough, but it should be a smooth trip now!”  
As she said that, Sara steered the jumpship into a newly opened portal that would lead them back to the Waverider. The small ship shook as it entered the Timestream, causing Ava to jump.  
“Everything okay, Sara?” She said nervously.  
“Yeah, must have just been hit by some wind or something on the way in. Shouldn’t be an issue.” Sara turned to look at Ava once again. “You okay?”  
“Yeah, I’m fine, just a bit nervous I guess,” she replied. “Where’s the chocolate? If I’m going to be uncomfortable I may as well eat something nice at the same time.”  
“That’s the spirit,” Sara laughed, tossing a bar of chocolate over her shoulder.

Ava was just starting to rip the packet open when the ship shuddered violently, before going dark. Sara heard a thud, quickly pulling off her restraint and moving back towards Ava.  
“Holy shit, Ava, are you okay? She said, reaching out blindly for Ava.  
“Yeah,” Ava chuckled nervously, “should have worn the seatbelt.” Sara finally found her and squeezed her hand (at least, she hoped it was her hand).  
“Too late to change that now.” She felt Ava’s hand shake slightly in hers, clenching her fingers tight enough that it hurt.  
“What happened, Sara?” She whispered shakily.  
“I…” Sara started, “I don’t know. This has never happened before. The jumpship was in perfect conditions when I left the Waverider… except…”  
“Except what, Sara!?” Ava said in a strangled voice.  
“Gideon tried to tell me something before I left the ship, but I was pissed off at her, so I-”  
“Only you could get angry at an AI,” Ava laughed softly.  
“Very true. Anyway, I was frustrated with Gideon so I made her… turn off her AI in the jumpship…” Sara trailed off. She felt Ava’s grip tighten once again.  
“You mean we’re trapped in the time stream with no contact to the main ship because you had a fight with your ship’s computer!?” Ava’s voice gradually rose, stress turning into an angry panic. “Why wouldn’t you just listened to the all-knowing super intelligence, Jesus Christ, Sara?” Sara could hear Ava starting to breathe unevenly. “Oh god, we’re going to die here, I’m going to die in the dark in this tiny fucking time ship and no one knows where we are, and-”  
“Ava!” Sara said firmly, wrapping her arms around the woman’s shaking body. “No one is going to die, okay? I’m going to figure out what’s gone wrong and get a message to the team so we can get back to the Waverider, and then we’re going to relax and do nothing for a couple of days so that you can destress.” Sara pulled back from the hug, but kept her hands on Ava’s shoulders. “Okay?”  
“Okay,” Ava took in a shaky breath. “I’m sorry about all that, I just… I really, really don’t like small spaces. I always feel like I’m going to end up being compressed until there’s nothing left… god, I just really hate them.”  
“Hey, it’s okay. Everyone’s afraid of something.” Sara heard Ava laugh.  
“What’s the great Sara Lance afraid of?”

As she heard the question, Sara could see the answer in her mind: her, holding a knife, carving her way through everyone she loved, murdering them all, her eyes pitch black as she pushed the knife slowly into her own sister’s heart…

Sara gasped loudly and scrambled backwards.  
“Spiders,” she breathed out. “I’m afraid of spiders.” She felt her heart racing in her chest as she lied, begging it to calm down, knowing it wouldn’t after what she had just seen.  
“Fair enough,” Ava said softly, misinterpreting her fear, “they give me the creeps too.”  
As Ava said that, there was a faint hum within the ship. Slowly, three dim, green lights turned on, offering a small amount of light within the stilled vessel.  
“At least now I can see,” Ava said. “Nothing’s worse than being trapped in a tiny space that’s so dark you can’t see anything.

“Some things are worse,” Sara whispered to herself. Over the quiet buzz that the lights let off as they slowly got brighter, Ava didn’t hear her.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this chapter is a little angsty and also some kissing and a little bit of dom Ava (no real smut yet though). I'm just gonna put this out there, if there's smut in this, it'll definitely be in the next chapter, so please let me know if that's what people want! I think that the story works fine with or without it, I just like writing smut :P  
> Enjoy!!!
> 
> ~ Elphachel

It was hard to tell how much time had passed when you were stuck in the time stream, but Ava was pretty sure it had been at least a few hours.  
“Any luck fixing the ship yet, Sara?” Ava said hopefully to the woman who was hunched over the control desk at the front of the ship. Sara turned around, her face etched with exhaustion. She sighed.  
“I have no idea what’s wrong,” she said. Suddenly she scowled, tossing the small toolbox she had been using violently against the back wall with a growl. Ava jumped, surprised at the sudden anger.  
“Sara, calm down. We’ll figure this out. No need to get so upset.” She walked over and gently placed a hand on Sara’s shoulder. She felt her tense under the touch, before relaxing into it.  
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I’m just so frustrated.” She turned to Ava. “I don’t like finding problems I can’t solve.” Sara slumped back in the seat. “I hate feeling useless, I guess.” Ava sighed, spinning Sara’s chair around and crouching until they were eye to eye.  
“Sara Lance, you are not useless. You are one of the most important people in all of time and history. You don’t have to be able to fix a damn timeship to be a worthwhile human being, because trust me, you’ve already met the criteria.”  
“Why are you so nice to me, Ava?” Sara whispered, her face mere inches from Ava’s. “You’ve read my file; you know everything that I’ve done. I’m not worth your kindness.”  
Ava took Sara’s face in her hands.  
“I know you, Sara. I don’t care what you have done, because I know that what you will do will be extraordinary. You have saved so many lives, and I’m certain that you will keep saving those lives for years to come. You are so good, Sara. So good, and so special.”

Sara leaned forward suddenly and pressed her lips gently against Ava’s. She felt Ava stiffen, and she started to pull back, already feeling a blush creep up her face in embarrassment, but then Ava relaxed and wrapped an arm around Sara’s neck, pulling her close. Sara kissed her with more ferocity, wrapping her arms around the woman’s legs and pulling her up into her lap; from there she pressed her arms against Ava’s back, holding her tight against her, digging her nails in with with a sharp breath as Ava ground down against her. Feeling the reaction, Ava moved her mouth to Sara’s neck, continuing to grind roughly against the other woman. Sara pulled her head back with a quiet moan as Ava shifted so her leg was between Sara’s so that she could grind on her knee. Neither of them were aware of anything other than the closeness of their bodies, both of them panting slightly. 

Ava was just starting to unbutton Sara’s jeans when there was a loud ringing throughout the ship. They jumped away from each other, startled as if they were children caught doing something they’d been told not to. Ava looked over at Sara, who had almost immediately fallen back into the seat, legs clearly shaking and a light sheen of sweat over her forehead. Ava could feel heat in her own body, across her face and neck, in the bottom of her stomach, in… Ava closed her eyes with a groan. Sara laughed.   
“What’s so funny?” Ava said, both of them still breathing heavily. Sara smiled at her.  
“I just cant believe we did that,” she said softly. Sara stood, legs still shaking, and took a step towards Ava.  
“Yes,” Ava said, quickly adding: “It always makes for good stress relief.” Sara stood still, the smile fading off her face.  
“Very true,” she replied, a slight edge to her voice. “I guess I should get the phone. Forgot that it had been fixed up to work in the Temporal Zone.” With that, Sara picked up the phone and turned to the front of the ship.

Ava pondered what had just happened with confusion. She had just assumed Sara went for that because, well… it was Sara. She wasn’t exactly known for self-restraint when it came to sex or anything close to it. As Sara had noted before, Ava had read her file; her file, which didn’t fail to mention that Sara wasn’t at all nervous about doing what she wanted with whomever she wanted. Ava assumed she was just a warm body for Sara; someone to help her alleviate the stress of trying (and failing) to fix the jump ship. She would never have thought that Sara could have meant something by it, except… that face. The twist of her lips, so disappointed, just a little bit angry, when Ava had been cavalier about the kiss. Ava couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, Sara was interested, just a little bit.

“What do you mean you crashed the Waverider!?” Sara shouted. Ava’s eyes widened as she processed what Sara had just said. “I told you to stay put! I told you I’d be back soon!” Ava walked across to Sara and mouthed the word “speaker”. Sara pressed the phone’s screen and suddenly Ray’s voice filled the small ship.  
“You told us that two days ago, Captain!” Ava felt the blood drain out of her face at Ray’s words. “We were worried, so we came to look for you, but apparently the Time Bureau’s on high alert or something because, well…”  
“Because they shot us out of the bloody sky!” Mick interrupted.   
“That’s not possible!” Ava exclaimed. “They would never shoot the Waverider, you’re currently listed as an asset to the Bureau!” Sara turned to look at Ava through narrowed eyes.   
“Glad to see we’re so useful to you Ava,” she said dryly. “Wouldn’t want anyone to think you kept us around because you actually liked us.”  
“I… um…” Ava floundered for words, until Zari, thankfully, interrupted.   
“Look, you two can have your little lovers quarrel later, right now we were kinda hoping you could fly back down and clear things up with the Bureau. They’re refusing to help us fix the ship!”  
“We can’t do anything Zari,” Sara sighed. “The jumpship’s dead.”  
“Then use Ava’s wrist thingy and come here!” Mick growled. Sara turned to Ava hopefully, but Ava shook her head.   
“I didn’t even bring it with me,” Ava said quietly.

Ava could hear the Legends still arguing, but she could feel herself panicking. Two days. She had been trapped on this ship for two whole days. That meant that for two days already, she had missed work, she hadn’t seen anyone other than Sara, she hadn’t even done what she’d claimed she was going to in the first place and checked up on the Legends! Ava felt like she couldn’t draw in breath properly: this space was too small, and she was too far away from anywhere where things made sense. She would never admit it, especially not to Sara, but all she wanted to do was curl up and scream. She could feel a tightness in her stomach, her throat was burning, everything felt too hot and cold at the same time and she was shaking, her whole body shaking.

Ava jumped as two warm arms wrapped around her, a hand reaching up to gently stroke her hair.  
“It’s nothing, I’m fine!” Ava snapped at Sara, trying to brush her arms off. Sara held on.  
“Ava, it’s okay,” Sara whispered, still running fingers through her hair. “You’re claustrophobic, there’s nothing wrong with that, okay? We’ll get through this.”   
“I just hate this so much,” Ava said, a small sob slipping out of her lips. “And it makes it almost worse that someone else is here, has to see me be weak and afraid.”  
“Ava, you’re not weak. You’re strong. You’re so strong. You’ve been through hell and back to get to where you are today, and you’re all the stronger for it. You couldn’t be weak if you tried.” She pulled Ava close, letting the other woman relax into her embrace, rubbing circles on her back. “You know you don’t have to hold on all the time. I can’t believe I’m saying this to another person, but… it’s okay to open up. To get close to people. It’s hard, but I’m starting to learn that sometimes, it can be worth the heartbreak.” They were both silent for a moment.

“I don’t just see you as stress relief,” Ava blurted out. Sara raised an eyebrow at her. “I thought that was what you wanted to hear, and I don’t know, maybe it was, but I need you to know that I do actually like you. Not that you didn’t relieve my stress by making out with me, but I wouldn’t want just that with you. I want more.”Ava fell silent before adding: “Although, if you were only interested in sex, I’d deal with it, because… wow.” Sara smirked at Ava.  
“Well, that wasn’t what I had expected but it’s certainly a welcome surprise.” Sara captured Ava’s lips gently with her own. “I kissed you before because I like you, Ava. So, yes to more… but I mean, if you want, we could just skip all of that build-up that other people do,” Sara punctuated her words with gentle kisses and nips down Ava’s neck, “and get to the part that I think we’re both thinking about.”  
“I think I’d like that,” Ava breathed. Sara started to push Ava towards the wall of the ship, before gasping in surprise as Ava turned, pushing her against the wall instead and pinning her hands above her head. “Yes, I’d definitely like that… as long as you do exactly what I say. Do you think you can manage that?” She whispered in a husky voice, her breath dancing along Sara’s neck, causing a shiver to go down the shorter woman’s spine. Sara nodded breathlessly. “Good girl,” Ava breathed, bringing her lips to Sara’s once again and kissing her like it was the last thing she was ever going to do.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is basically just smut. I'm sorry it's been so long, I've been super busy with uni lately. I don't think this is the best smut I've ever written, but I hope it's still okay! Enjoy!!!
> 
> ~ Elphachel

It wasn’t that Sara had been offended when Ava said she was good for stress relief; she was just a little bit disappointed. She thought she was making her feelings so clear by kissing Ava, but maybe the rule-abiding woman wasn’t good at understanding emotions like that. Unless she didn’t feel that way about Sara and just didn’t want to make things awkward…  
‘So why the fuck did she kiss me!?’ Sara thought to herself as she listened to Ray prattle on through the normal formalities. 

Then the bombshell: the Waverider wasn’t going to be swooping in and rescuing them any time soon. Sara wanted to stay calm. She really did. But honestly, this was becoming an almost weekly occurrence for the team, and for the second time now she was marooned somewhere because of a mistake with their technology. Sure she wanted to stay calm, but there was no way that was going to happen.  
“What do you mean you crashed the Waverider!?” She shouted, noticing a very concerned Ava at her side a moment later. She quickly put the phone on speaker, only to see Ava’s expression change to nausea a moment later as she realised that they had been trapped for a few days already, and that there was no sign of escape any time soon. She tried to make the woman feel like everything was normal with a sarcastic comment about the Legends being an “asset”, realising just a second too late that after just calling Sara “stress relief”, Ava might feel a little awkward about her choice of words. Sure enough, Ava stuttered over her next words, clearly embarrassed; Sara kicked herself internally. Then, as if it all wasn’t already horrible for Ava, Zari called them lovers. Sara could feel the heat radiating off of Ava’s bright red face.

At some point, she noticed that Ava had moved away from her; suddenly she couldn’t wait for the call to end just so that she could be close to the other woman and talk about what had happened between them… and whether or not they could do it again, of course.

After what felt like an eternity, the call finally ended. Sara turned, expecting to see Ava waiting for her to finish talking; instead she found her staring determinedly at the wall of the ship, body shaking and jaw clenched tightly. Without thinking, Sara stepped over to her and wrapped her in a gentle embrace, holding the terrified woman close to her. She held her as she struggled to hold back her tears, whispering encouragement into her ears as she slowly calmed. Finally Ava wiped her eyes and pulled back, looking at Sara, before suddenly speaking:  
“I don’t just see you as stress relief!” Sara raised an eyebrow in surprise at the statement, listening as Ava rambled on, a smile growing on her face as she listened to the vulnerability in the normally-stoic woman’s voice. And then, suddenly, just as quickly as it had happened before, they were kissing, and Sara was trailing her lips down Ava’s neck. 

Sara had every intention of being gentle with her: she was clearly having a rough time on the jumpship, and all Sara wanted was to make that disappear. She was pushing Ava slowly towards the wall when the agent grabbed her wrists and swapped their position, pushing Sara against the wall with a thud that sent a shiver down Sara’s back. She could hear Ava whispering in her ear, asking her to give over control (because of course Ava Sharpe would get off on bossing people around) and without even thinking Sara nodded, pushing herself closer to the woman as an offering.   
“Good girl,” she felt Ava whisper against her, a slight shudder making it’s way through her body at the words. 

Without warning, Ava was kissing her again and she was pressed hard against the wall. Ava shifted so that one of her hands was still holding Sara’s in place while the other hand snaked down to expertly unbutton Sara’s jeans and push roughly against her core, moaning slightly into Sara’s mouth at the wetness that met her hand. Unable to wait any longer, Sara began to grind down onto Ava’s hand, the sensation already enough to elicit a groan, even through her panties still barred Ava from touching her directly.   
“Please, Ava,” she gasped out harshly as Ava’s other hand moved under her shirt, easily pushing her bra out of the way to brush her thumb over a hardened nipple.   
“Please what?” Ava whispered, barely even a shake in her voice. Sara couldn’t help but wonder how she was still so composed: if the roles had been reversed, Sara would probably have already thrown Ava to the floor and have her head between her thighs, but Ava seemed content to tease, letting ghosts of movements brush against Sara as she revelled in the quiet noises that came out of the assassin’s mouth.  
“Please,” Sara gasped again as a hand slipped below the waistband of her panties, pressed directly against her clit. “Just fuck me, please Ava!”

“You know,” Ava mused, her hand rubbing against Sara’s slit, gathering wetness, “I thought it would take a lot more to make the great Captain Lance beg… but I’m so glad I got to hear it.” Without another word, Ava pressed two fingers into Sara’s entrance, drawing out a loud moan from the other woman as she moved her fingers against her inner walls. Taking advantage of her newly freed hands, Sara quickly ripped her shirt off, allowing Ava easier access to the skin beneath. Immediately Ava dropped her mouth to the woman’s collarbone, sucking and nipping roughly at the skin while her hands continued their work, one pushing in and out of Sara, the other toying with her nipples, only stopping briefly to unhook Sara’s bra for easier access. Ava could feel goosebumps along Sara’s skin; whether it was from the cold or from pleasure, she wasn’t sure.

At some point Sara realised she had wrapped her legs around Ava’s waist, her hips grinding down harshly onto Ava’s hand. The only thing keeping her in place was the pressure of Ava against her front, pinning her to the wall. Sara could feel herself getting close, far faster than she had ever expected. She had never been the kind of person to give over control, and yet with Ava it felt so easy and right. It was like Ava was built for this, her dark eyes the only thing even suggesting that she was at all affected by what she was doing to Sara. She moved mercilessly, barely giving Sara time to register her pleasure at each thrust before her fingers were already deep inside again, dragging roughly along her as her thumb drew tight circles on her clit. Sara hated to admit it, but she kind of loved letting Ava take control over her.

Ava could feel Sara getting closer and closer, her breathing sharp and interspersed with moans and gasps. If this were anyone else, she would stop now, take them right to the edge and then pull them back, again and again until they were begging for release; but this wasn’t anyone else. It was Sara. It was the woman who had been haunting her thoughts for so long. The image in front of her was one she had pictured a million times since meeting the assassin, and it was finally a reality. There was no way she was going to make herself wait any longer to see what captain Sara Lance looked like when she came.

With that final thought, Ava added a third finger and increased the pressure on Sara’s clit. She could feel Sara clenching around her fingers, her mouth wide, her eyes pressed shut. She leaned in, her face touching Sara’s.  
“Look at me,” she whispered, locking her gaze with Sara’s blue eyes. She could feel Sara shuddering as if she was trying to hold on. “Come for me,” she said in a low voice, never breaking eye contact.

Even though it had been building for the past few minutes, Sara’s orgasm still struck her by surprise. She moaned loudly, and squeezed her eyes shut as they began to water slightly. Every part of her body was tense, and for just a moment it seemed as if she would stay like that, muscles coiled like a tightly-wound spring in anticipation of what was about to happen, but then Ava’s thumb brushed her clit just right and suddenly her whole body was shaking, moans of Ava’s name and indistinguishable words spilling freely from her mouth as wave after wave of pleasure rushed through her body. Ava’s fingers kept moving throughout the whole thing as best they could, although Ava did find it hard when it felt like her hand was caught in a vice between Sara’s legs. She nearly closed her eyes, feeling like she could nearly come herself just from the sound and feeling of Sara’s orgasm, but she forced herself to focus on Sara’s face: she never wanted to forget what the woman in front of her looked like in this moment.

Ava didn’t stop moving until she felt Sara slump against her, shuddering slightly. Her fingers still in Sara, Ava pulled her in for a gentle kiss, feeling a shiver dance across Sara’s naked body as she slowly pulled her fingers out of the other woman. Sara looked down at the woman’s fingers coated in her wetness, taking in a shaky breath as Ava held her fingers up to Sara’s mouth.  
“Go on,” Ava said in a low voice, pressing her fingers against Sara’s mouth. Without a second though, Sara took the fingers into her mouth, closing her eyes at the taste working her tongue around each digit until there was nothing left. She heard Ava let out a moan as she sucked her fingers and her eyes shot open to see Ava rubbing herself roughly through her pants, her whole outfit surprisingly put together for someone who just fucked someone else half to death. Sara let go of the fingers with a pop, before dropping down to her knees, her face pressed against Ava’s hand as she continued to rub.  
“Let me,” she whispered, moving Ava’s hand out of the way and slowly undoing her pants. “I want to return the favour.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Bet you thought you'd seen the last of me! Nope, I'm back. Lengthy explanation for my extended absence at the end! For now, please enjoy this chapter that took forever to publish :P
> 
> ~ Elphachel

Sara lay, wrapped up in Ava’s bare arms, both women spent and completely naked on the floor of the jumpship. If she was completely honest, the thought of the cleanup that she would have to do on the ship was almost enough to make her regret what she and Ava had just done… almost. Sara was certain that even if she lived for 100 more years, she would never forget the look on Ava’s face as she came, her lip trembling as she bit down hard enough to draw blood, her eyes scrunched up as tightly as possible, and all the while little gasps escaping from her as she bucked up helplessly against Sara. Even if she had to spend the next month cleaning up the mess they had made in the jumpship, it would still have been worth it just to be able to say that she had actually made Ava come (and several times at that).

Her hands fiddled aimlessly with Ava’s hair, out of the tight, neat bun that she normally kept it in and instead fanned out underneath her.  
“Where do we go from here?” She said quietly to the other woman, who turned to look at her as she spoke. A quizzical look crossed Ava’s face.  
“What do you mean?” She said, raising an eyebrow. “I was assuming that once we get off this damn ship, I could take you out for dinner, and then maybe we could do this on a surface that isn’t made of metal?”  
“So you do actually, y’know… want to go on a date with me?” Sara looked hopefully at Ava.  
“I didn’t take you as the kind to be insecure,” Ava said softly. “Of course I want to go on a date with you. Hopefully many dates. I really like you Sara.” Upon hearing that Sara held Ava a little bit tighter.  
“I’m glad,” she whispered into Ava’s shoulder. “Not many people have ever been too keen on sticking with a former assassin.”  
“It doesn’t matter what you used to be: only what you are now. And what you are now is a gorgeous, phenomenal, kind-hearted woman. You can be a pain in my ass sometime, but the best kind, and I-”  
“That’s strange,” Sara interrupted, sitting up slightly, “I didn’t take you as the kind who’d like anal.” Ava looked at her, brow furrowed in confusion. “You know,” Sara elaborated, “because I’m a good pain in your ass.”

Ava let out a snort of laughter, slapping playfully at Sara’s exposed butt.  
“Of course your mind would go there,” she laughed, rolling her eyes, “all you think about is sex!”  
“Sex with you, that is!” Sara interjected with a smile as she slowly allowed her head to rest once again against Ava’s shoulder. “And this sometimes. Just… being with you. I definitely think about it.”  
“I think about it too,” Ava pressed a gentle kiss to Sara’s lips. “I think about a lot of things involving you….” She murmured against her lips, trailing a finger down Sara’s side.  
“What kind of things, Agent Sharpe?” Sara gasped slightly as Ava’s fingers began gently rubbing at her hips.  
“Why don’t I show you, Ms Lance…” Ava said as she moved to straddle Sara.

Just as Ava was moving her mouth down to press a kiss to Sara’s neck, there was a loud beep.   
“What the-” Ava moved to stand to find the source of the sound, balancing her hand on the console as she stood up, completely missing Sara’s sudden “wait, no” and hitting a button on the console. Immediately the faces of Ray, Zari, Gary, and several Time Bureau higher-ups filled the front window of the jumpship. Ava jumped back in surprise, quickly grabbing a shirt from the floor and pulling it up to cover her body.  
“Sara!” She cried out in panic. “Can they… see us?” Her face was bright red, and she quickly turned so that she was pressed into a corner to conceal as much of her naked form as possible.  
“Yep,” Sara said calmly, sauntering over to a pair of pants lying on the floor and tossing them to Ava, “which means you probably want these.”

“Captain!” Ray said, his face almost as red as Ava’s. “Glad to see you’re…” he trailed off, with a cough, turning to Zari and mouthing “help!” at her.  
“Enjoying yourself,” she finished, earning her a look from Ray, Sara and the Time Bureau Agents. “What?! They clearly are, or at least were before we called!”  
“I’ve been waiting so long for this to happen,” Gary whispered happily to himself, a statement which earned him a light slap on the back of the head from Zari as he was looking away from the screen to protect his boss’s privacy.  
“C’mon man,” she whispered at him, “that’s just weird.”  
“I just really wanted them to get together! They’re the perfect couple!” He said loudly, causing Sara and Ava to exchange amused looks as Zari tried (and failed) to hold back a snort of laughter.

“If we’re all done having fun, I think we would all appreciate it if you two would put some clothes on so that we can discuss the current situation in a dignified manner,” announced a middle-aged woman in a Time Bureau suit, scowling with every word.  
“Aww, but I’m really enjoying the view I have!” Sara said playfully, her eyes locked on Ava, who was still standing frozen with a shirt pressed against her body.  
“Both of you put clothing on immediately!” The woman said shrilly.  
“Just do it, Sara,” Zari sighed, “there’s enough shit going on without us all having to be reminded that you both have amazingly unobtainable abs.” 

Rolling her eyes, Sara finally moved to locate her clothes, being sure to bend in such a way that Ava would have a perfect view of her ass; Ava was annoyed at Sara about that, but not annoyed enough to tell her to stop, because good god, that ass was a gift from the heavens. Finally, after what seemed like an unbearable and awkward eternity, Sara pulled her pants on, effectively breaking the trance Ava was in. Ava took the opportunity to quickly pull on her own clothing, for fear that Sara would find another way to tease her (and also knowing that even if she didn’t do it on purpose, Sara’s mere presence was the biggest distraction possible).

Once they finally were both covered, the discussion begun.  
“So, you’re stuck on a dead timeship with no AI and no known location-”  
“Yeah,” Sara interrupted, “because you shot the only thing that could find us out of the damn sky!”  
“These last few days have been trying!” Thundered the woman on the screen. “Are you aware that a crew of so-called “legends” from an alternate timeline have been flying around in their Waverider, wrecking havoc on the city?! Of course not, you were too busy seducing one of our most important agents!” Ava could see Sara bristling, and quickly stepped towards her, placing a gentle hand on her forearm to calm her. “Meanwhile, your crew come galavanting in, flying directly over the Time Bureau in this time of crisis: it’s no wonder we confused them for the alternates!”  
“But why would you shoot without checking who was on the ship? Any member of our team could have confirmed our identities!” Sara struggled to keep her voice restrained.  
“It’s hardly the job of the Time Bureau to ensure that the idiotic “legends” side-project stays running. Your crew needs to be more careful!”  
“With all due respect, ma’am,” Ava said, stepping forward, “the legends have proven themselves to be a valuable asset time and time again, and it would hardly be in the best interest of the Time Bureau to do anything to jeopardise that relationship.”  
“Yeah,” Sara said, an edge to her voice, “what she said.”

“Hey!” Zari shouted. “How about instead of deciding who’s fault what is - since everything is clearly the Time Bureau’s fault - we figure out a way to solve the problems at hand? We have two of our most valuable team members trapped in the depths of time with no stable way to locate them, and we have a rouge set of… well… us, running around destroying the city. Both of these things need to be fixed, that’s why we made this call in the first place!”  
“Wait!” Ray said suddenly. “The alternate legends, that’s it! All we have to do is access their ship, and we can use it to locate our jumpship! They’re in the waverider, we just need to adjust it to find our jumpship instead of theirs!”  
“Okay, great plan, one problem:” Sara sighed, “how the hell are you guys going to get on the alternate waverider with no ship of your own?”  
“Oh Captain, that’s the easy bit!” Ray said, his eyes shinning. “We use Time Couriers!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so, you don't need to read this if you're not interested, but I feel like it's only fair to explain why I posted in May and then disappeared until now. So, as some readers may know from previous notes like this, I suffer from severe depression and anxiety. A few years ago, after I first started posting my work, these problems kinda took control of my life for a while, and I stopped writing for the most part. I started uni this year, and after a year on medication, I felt like my life was moving back on track, and wanted to start writing again, because I love it and I love sharing my passions. Then, midway through the year, things suddenly got really bad again. There's the drop off in May because my exams were then, and then it just kinda stops because I just didn't have the motivation anymore, and then after a certain time I felt embarrassed because I had promised more regular uploads and then broken that promise very quickly. I've just finished my first year of uni, and honestly, things are still very iffy. I'm probably going to change my medication, and I've been rejected from around 50 jobs this year, which is hard because, as a university student, money is somewhat important. On the bright side, I'm finished for the year, and I have very few plans in the near future. I can't and won't promise again that my updates will be regular; it could be a 2 days before the next chapter or 2 months, I honestly don't know. I like to write as I go, so that my story can evolve depending on the reception it receives, but that means that sometimes it can be a while before I post new content just because I'm struggling with personal issues. Anyway, this is super long now, but I just felt like I owed ya'll an explanation. Thanks for sticking with me. 
> 
> ~ Elphachel


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha, I told you I'd always come back!!! Brand new year, same inability to stick to any kind of posting schedule. Hope y'all enjoy!!
> 
> ~ Elphachel <3

“Where are they now?” Sara questioned, her voice tight with anxiety. It had been over an hour since Ray’s plan had been put into motion: himself, Zari and Amaya had managed to make their way onto the alternate Waverider, their only connection to the outside being their Time Couriers and Bureau-issued earpieces. Ever since they had left for their mission, Sara had been pacing, the screen of the jump ship in the ongoing call with the Bureau Headquarters. She normally would’ve ignored what the Bureau had to say about a mission, but something about hearing four different agents say that her team’s plan was suicide had her jumpy and stressed: she’d never felt so far away from the other Legends.

“As we said last time Captain Lance, we have no clue where they are,” an agent replied curtly. “They could be dead, or they could have joined the alternates. It’s not like your team has any rules to follow.” It wasn’t the first time Sara had heard demeaning comments about her team during this operation; most of the agents she’d spoken with seemed convinced that her team was just waiting for a chance to escape and become criminals. For some reason, Sara’s anger got the better of her with this one.  
“We don’t need the kinds of rules you suits have because we have loyalty. We aren’t just a team, we’re a family; and I will always trust my family.” Sara stared at the screen, eyes blazing, wishing she could reach through and strangle the agent. Knowing that the distance kept her safe, however, the agent just laughed.   
“Keep telling yourself that, ‘Captain’,” she smirked, stressing the title so it sounded more like an insult than the mark of respect it should have been.

“Agent Lane,” Ava’s sharp voice cut through the agent’s chuckles, “if you will not show respect to the captain of one of the most powerful crews in all of time, perhaps we should remove you from all communications in future. We could always have you switched to desk duty full-time if you’re unable to speak appropriately to others.” At that, the other agent’s face went crimson and her eyes widened slightly.  
“I hope that won’t be necessary, Agent Sharpe,” she stammered out, unable to meet the gaze of Ava or Sara, who was now smirking slightly with delight at the verbal lashing the woman had received.  
“As do I,” Ava said, her voice steely as ever. “Now, I’m sure there are better things you can be doing rather than antagonising Captain Lance; please go do them immediately, and send someone to take your post.”

The young agent let out a stuttering apology, before quickly scurrying away.  
“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” Sara said quietly.  
“I know, but I figure sending her away was better than you trying to decapitate her, or maim her, or some other gruesome crime through the screen.” Sara let out a short laugh, before settling into silence. She stared down at her clasped hands.  
“It feels unnatural to be away from them for this long. Normally I’d kill for some peace and quiet like this, but all I can think about is what happens if someone gets hurt in this mission and I wasn’t there. We’ve lost people before, Stein, Snart… I don’t know if I can bear to go through it all again.” Ava wrapped her arms around Sara, holding her tight against her chest.  
“I know I give you and your team a lot of shit, but you guys are good at what you do. You’re all more than capable; there’s a reason Rip chose you to begin with. Your team is going to be fine and you’ll all be back on the Waverider before you know it.” Sara pulled herself away from Ava and looked up at her, bristling.  
“We’re good at what we do, but even the best of us can make mistakes. If being skilled was what kept people alive, I never would’ve died, but it didn’t exactly help me. Or maybe I’m just the idiot that got herself killed!” At that, Sara turned, stalking over to the other side of the jumpship.

Ava was silent for a moment, unsure of how she should proceed. She hadn’t expected Sara to get so upset; sure she could be a bit rash sometimes, but she normally wasn’t quite so quick to anger with Ava, especially since they’d started to get closer. Now they were headed for something more than friends, but it seemed like Ava might’ve screwed that up already.  
“I’m sorry, Sara,” she sighed, “that’s not at all what I meant.” The hand she placed on Sara’s shoulder was immediately shrugged off. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think. I should’ve considered my words more carefully.” Sara turned with a sigh.  
“No, no, Aves, I’m sorry,” Sara saw Ava’s mouth quirk up slightly at the nickname. “I’m just so stressed right now, but that’s no excuse to snap at you. I know it’s not what you meant, it’s just easier to be angry than it is to admit how worried I am. Zari still isn’t great at listening, Amaya acts like she’s babysitting Zari because she has to train and protect the less experienced Totem Bearer, and Ray… well I’m worried that Ray’s going to give them away immediately by being to friendly, or smiling too much. We don’t know how these alternate versions compare to us: they could be completely different! And if something goes wrong, it’s all my fault.”  
“Sara, none of this is your fault!” Ava said firmly, putting a gentle hand on Sara’s cheek.   
“Isn’t it?” Sara whispered. “I’m the one who left them there alone. I’m the one who ignored Gideon’s warnings about faults in the jumpship. Hell, I’m the one who turned Gideon off because I was annoyed at a goddamn AI! If I’d just been a better leader, if I had just listened to Gideon, then-”

Sara’s words were cut off by a gentle kiss.  
“Sara, you’re spiralling,” Ava pressed her forehead against Sara’s. “I just need you to breathe, okay? Just follow my breathing, and then once you’re calmer, we can talk about anything you want, or we can just cuddle if you want, okay? Whatever you need.” They stood like that, just breathing together, until finally Sara’s breathing had evened out and her heart didn't feel like it was about to beat out of her chest.  
“I think maybe I just need to have a nap or something.” As if on cue, Sara’s sentence was punctuated with a yawn.  
“I think that might be a good idea. It’s not like we’ve really had a chance to catch up on sleep since we got trapped in here, so we’ve essentially been going on no sleep for several days now.” Ava looked around, as if she half expected a bed to magically appear.  
“Sorry, think it’s going to have to be the floor,” Sara said, guessing Ava’s thoughts from her expectant expression. “I’m really sorry, I know this isn’t exactly the relaxing getaway that I promised.”  
“Hey,” Ava cupped Sara’s face, “it’s okay. At least I get to spend lots of time with you.” 

They both slowly lowered themselves onto the floor of the ship, Ava letting out a sharp breath at the coldness of the metal.  
“God, I’m going to need so many appointments with my physio when I get home,” Ava groaned, settling behind Sara and wrapping an arm around her waist.  
“It’s not all bad,” Sara smirked at Ava over her shoulder. “If you’re good, maybe I’ll give you a special massage when we get back.” With a wink, Sara turned her head away from Ava, pushing back until their bodies were flush against each other.  
“I’m holding you too that, Captain Lance,” Ava teased.  
“Looking forward to it,” Sara replied sleepily, feeling relaxed and safe for the first time since her team’s impromptu mission had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, just a quick little note to say thanks to those still reading, I know I cant be the most fun writer to try and follow because I'm so inconsistent with uploads, but I really hope you still enjoy my work despite that! Also, I'm hoping to start writing some more one shots once I've finished this story, so if you have any prompts, let me know! Doesn't have to be Avalance, I want to start extending my writing to some of my other ships, all gay because I'm a big useless lesbian.
> 
> ~ Elphachel


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Last couple of chapters have been written already, so I'm posting this now and will try and remember to put up the last one in the next few days. Thanks to those who stuck with me on this, I know I had huge breaks between updates, and I'm so grateful for your patience. 
> 
> I'm currently thinking about starting a series for upcoming fics that'll be mainly one shots/short prompts centred around my fave wlw ships bc I'm a useless lesbian, so if you have any prompts or things you'd like to see, hmu.
> 
> ~ Elphachel

Ava couldn’t sleep. She had for a while, but it seemed like it was only a few hours, at least to her. Sara, meanwhile, was still sound asleep, snoring ever so slightly. At first when she woke up, Ava stayed there, her arms wrapped around Sara, just enjoying the feeling of her gentle breathing against her fingertips. Ava had hoped that it might be enough to lull her back into sleep, but, frustratingly, she remained unquestionably awake. After waiting for what felt like an eternity, Ava began the near-impossible task of disentangling herself from Sara without waking her up.

After about 20 minutes, and four near-wake-ups, Ava was finally able to stand up. She made her way over to the front of the jumpship, slightly turning up the volume on the call so that she would be able to communicate with the Time Bureau while Sara slept.  
“Is anyone still on this call, or did you all just decide that leaving an agent and a valuable asset unattended and stranded in the Timestream was the correct recourse in this situation?” Ava said, slipping into her Agent Voice with ease. Immediately, a head shot up into view of the screen, slamming his hand down onto the control panel so that he could speak to Ava.  
“Agent Sharpe!” Gary stuttered out. “I’m so sorry, you two were asleep and I just put my head down for a moment and now you’re angry at me, oh god, and the happiest moment of my life only just-”  
“Gary!” Ava barked. “Are you ever quiet?” 

At this, Gary snapped his mouth shut, a sheepish look on his face.  
“Sorry, Agent Sharpe. How are things going up there?” Gary quickly said, bouncing back as if nothing had happened.  
“About as well as one can expect when you’re trapped in a small timeship and floating around in the Timestream,” Ava sighed. “At least I have good company,” she said with a chuckle as she shot a quick look back at Sara’s sleeping form.  
“You’re certainly very… close,” Gary said with a giggle.  
“Gary!” Ava snapped. “I want you to consider what you’re referencing right now and think long and hard about whether or not it is appropriate. If it is not, then perhaps you should stop thinking it.” 

Gary stared at the screen silently. He slowly opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it after a particularly harsh glower from Ava.  
“I’m just happy you’re happy,” he finally said, causing Ava’s glare to soften. “Anyway, there’s no news yet about the Legends’ mission, so it’s still just a matter of waiting.”  
“How long has it been since they left?” Ava said, doing a poor job of masking her anxiety. It wasn’t that she liked the Legends, but they had grown on her a bit and being infatuated with their Captain certainly hadn’t hurt her opinion of them. Not to mention the fact that said Captain would be heartbroken if anything were to happen to her team, and the thought of Sara hurting was enough to make Ava want to cry.  
“Nearly 7 hours,” Gary said nonchalantly, as if that amount of time was nothing and the Legends would just waltz back in any minute now. As if she and Sara weren’t still stuck in the never-ending void of time with no idea how to escape, god knows how far and how long from her team, just waiting for news of the team so that they could have one less thing to worry about.   
“They should’ve been back by now,” Ava murmured, her brow furrowed with concern. There had to be a way to fix the jumpship, or get back to the Bureau! Sitting and waiting wasn’t Ava’s style, and it certainly wasn’t Sara’s; if something happened, they needed to be down there, able to jump into the fight. They just needed a way to get back…  
“Gary!” He started at the desk where he had been sitting, immediately knocking over a stack of papers.  
“Yes, Agent Sharpe?” He said as he tried desperately to collect the fluttering papers, before ultimately giving up and letting them settle around him. Ava took a deep breath.  
“I need you to open up a portal into the jumpship right now so that we can get back to the Bureau.” Gary stared at her worriedly.  
“Agent Sharpe, I fully understand that you want to be here right now, but we both know that Couriers struggle with specific locations within the Timestream. The jumpship isn’t like the Waverider: you don’t have a huge target where an approximation will do. If the portal isn’t exactly right, one of you could get severely hurt, or worse, you could end up trapped in the Timestream without the protection of the jumpship. I can’t let you risk that, not when you only just got together and made my favourite ship a reality!” 

Seeing Ava’s raised eyebrow at his comment on her relationship with Sara, Gary quickly corrected himself.  
“I mean, you just got together and seem so happy, I don’t want to risk that for you!”  
“Your concern is touching, but we need to be there. This isn’t a request: it’s an order. If you are unable to do this, you need to go find an agent who is.” Despite her harsh words, there was a softness to Ava’s tone; she was hard on Gary, but he was one of the few people who cared about her as a person rather than just an agent. Sure, he was… overly invested in her relationship with Sara, but he also took the time to ask how her day was going every morning, and never gave up on his cheerful and kind demeanour, no matter how many times she yelled at him. She’d never tell him, but he was her favourite person at the Bureau by far, even if he was also their most incompetent agent.  
“Okay, Agent Sharpe, but we need to be really careful about this. If anything feels at all wrong, you don’t take the portal, okay?”  
“It’s okay, Gary,” Ava said gently, “I trust you.” Immediately, Gary’s face opened up into the biggest smile she had ever seen, and Ava knew that even if it was the right thing to say, Gary was never going to let her forget this.  
“C’mon, Gary!” Ava said sharply, abruptly returning to her work voice. “Less creepy smiling, more portal opening!”

With a few quick button presses to the device around Gary’s wrist, a portal sprung into existence against the back wall of the jumpship.   
“Agent Sharpe,” Gary said through the portal, “Shouldn’t you wake up Captain Lance? You can’t just leave her there!”  
“I’m not leaving her here, but I don’t plan on waking her up either.” Before Gary had a chance to ask what her plan was, given that it seemed impossible to get a sleeping assassin through a portal without her noticing, Ava was pulling Sara into her arms with ease, as though the smaller woman weighed less than a feather. 

Holding Sara as if she were her bride, Ava moved to step through the portal when a sudden shudder swept her feet from under her, causing Sara to collapse on top of her. Sara’s eyes immediately shot open, sweeping the ship for threats, before settling on Ava underneath her, her face a mask of pain.  
“Ava, what’s wrong, what happened?” Sara questioned in panic.   
“We opened a portal in the jumpship to try and get you two back to the Bureau, but I don’t think your ship is particularly happy about having a portal inside it!” Gary answered for Ava.  
“Not exactly surprising given that the portal takes up a considerable amount of the space in here and there’s no AI to keep the ship from trying to implode due to the paradox of having a time portal opened inside it while it’s in the Timestream!” Sara yelled. “What were you thinking?”  
“I was thinking that I wanted to get you back to your team!” Ava yelled back, wincing with pain every time the ship jolted. “I’m sorry for trying to do a nice thing for you, I just thought that maybe-”  
“We don’t have time for this!” Sara interrupted as she clambered to her feet. “The ship is going to rip itself and everything inside it out of existence, we have to leave right now!” Sara grabbed the bag she had brought and tossed it through the portal, before turning back to Ava. “That means you need to stand up right now and go!”

Ava slowly tried to stand, but fell with a cry as she attempted to put weight on her left leg.  
“I can’t, I hurt my leg when I fell!” Sara looked down and noticed with a look of horror that Ava’s right pants’ leg was wet and shiny in the middle of her lower leg.  
“Fuck!” Sara shouted. Ava tried once more to stand, but fell just as quickly as before.  
“Sara, you have to leave me here, ok? It’s not worth both of us being ripped apart, just go!”  
“Are you insane?” Sara cried, “I’m not leaving you, you’re too important to me. I’m getting us out of here no matter what!”

There was a sudden whirring as all of the lights in the jumpship turned on at once, the controls lighting up in their familiar assortment of colours.  
“The jumpship must be drawing energy from the portal!” Sara ran towards the controls and immediately started pressing buttons.  
“Captain Lance, I am ordering you to exit this vessel without me at once!” Ava said, trying to mask her fear and pain with the harshness of her work voice.  
“And I, Agent Sharpe, am asking you to shut up while I save your life because I am not losing you!” Sara snarled back, flicking several switches.   
“Sara, please!” Ava cried out. “Just go! What are you even trying to do?”  
“Remember when I picked you up from the Bureau and we had a rough take-off?” Sara pulled up on the controls. “Well this is going to be way worse!”

With a rough pull on the controls, the jumpship rotated 90 degrees, causing Ava and Sara to both fall directly towards the portal. As she fell, Sara managed to quickly grab Ava, wrapping her arms around the injured woman and pulling her close to her as the fell through the portal and into the Time Bureau Headquarters, where they lay in a heap on the floor.  
“You really need to get better at trusting people!” Sara murmured into Ava’s ear, before they both blacked out from sheer panic and exhaustion.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed! Happy to take any feedback or constructive criticism. Also feel free to send me requests, either on here in comments or on my Tumblr (https://www.tumblr.com/blog/gay-walrus25). Those can be requests for future chapters or other fics. Or you can just say hi! I love to talk to people! Til next time!
> 
> ~ Elphachel


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